Engine trouble for Ipswich's Engine 5

Wednesday

Jun 21, 2017 at 5:41 PMJun 21, 2017 at 5:41 PM

Dan Mac Alpine ipswich@wickedlocal.com @ipswich_chron

The issue: Engine 5, the Will Maker Engine, has been out of service for 290 days because of engine trouble, said Fire Chief Greg Gagnon, and the town has filed suit against the manufacturer for reparations.

Gagnon termed the amount of time the Engine 5 has been out of service for repairs “highly unusual.”

Date purchased: 2013

Price: $525,000

Manufacturer: KME Fire Apparatus Inc., which is part of the REV Group, a company comprised of 26 specialty vehicle brands.

Key quote: “The problem is the motor itself. There are a lot of intricate parts, especially with diesel emissions. We are not alone in the problem with this engine. This particular engine model, for three or four years, was most difficult, including the 2012 model engine.” — Fire Chief Greg Gagnon

Fix: Town Meeting approved purchasing two new pumpers at $500,000 each with expected delivery in “early 2018” said Gagnon.

Replacement: The new engines would replace the 25-year-old Engine 2 and the 27-year-old Engine 4. Engine 5 would serve as the back up engine.

Gagnon said both Engine 2 and Engine 4 are at the end of their useful lives. Engines can run as frontline pumper for 10 years and a back up for another 10 to 15 years with an overhaul.

Gagnon is now negotiating for trade in value on Engine 2 and Engine 4 and an additional forest fire truck Gagnon termed as “surplus.”